Silda Wall Spitzer: More Controversial Than Britney Spears

<div class="image left"><img alt="Silda" src="http://nymag.com/daily/intel/12_silda_sml.jpg"/></div>Poor Silda Wall Spitzer. People are more opinionated about her sticking (at least for the moment) with her husband than they were about Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. Even <a href=http://www.nypost.com/seven/03122008/gossip/pagesix/missing_tom_101492.htm">Tom Hanks's assistant</a> was overheard yesterday wondering how Silda, a former attorney, could stand by her man as he announced to the world that he had had (<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/03/what_we_know_about_clint_numbe.html">possibly kinky</a>!) sex with prostitutes. The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/nyregion/12silda.html?hp"><em>Times</em></a> this morning said that it was probably because "she was not yet aware of the extent of the government’s investigation." But despite going all <em>Us Weekly</em> — citing anonymous "friends" saying that the governorship has "strained" Spitzer's marriage "especially in the past few weeks" (what?) — the story ends on a surprisingly hopeful anecdote about the closeness of their relationship. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Silda and Eliot stayed together?

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Poor Silda Wall Spitzer. People are more opinionated about her sticking (at least for the moment) with her husband than they were about Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. Even Tom Hanks's assistant was overheard yesterday wondering how Silda, a former attorney, could stand by her man as he announced to the world that he had had (possibly kinky!) sex with prostitutes. The Times this morning said that it was probably because "she was not yet aware of the extent of the government’s investigation." But despite going all Us Weekly — citing anonymous "friends" saying that the governorship has "strained" Spitzer's marriage "especially in the past few weeks" (what?) — the story ends on a surprisingly hopeful anecdote about the closeness of their relationship. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Silda and Eliot stayed together?

Cindy Adams thinks it would be no big deal. "A husband hooking up with a hooker is not reason enough to no longer be a married lady," she says in her column today, and uses an historical example of infidelity to make her point. "George Washington buried his wooden teeth in ladies other than Martha but, predating the Internet, texting, computers, cellphones and cable TV, his itch was kept quiet." Who knew she would side with Dr. Laura? Fox News adds that she is "not the first political wife to endure the pain of spouse's scandal," helpfully pointing out that Lee Hart, Suzanne Vitter, Dina Matos McGreevey, and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton all did the same thing. Of course, not everyone thinks a cheating husband is something to be suffered as part of politics as usual: "Those 'stand by your man' visuals are tired and demeaning," Dana Goldstein said on The American Prospect's Website. "If I were her, I would call my mother or my best friend and pack my bags and go someplace far away for six months and take my daughters with me," another anonymous "pal" of Silda's told the Daily News yesterday. Jezebel strangely, hasn't weighed in, although they did call Spitzer Man a "fucking bastard, so we guess we know how they feel. But when will we hear from Hillary?